Louis Westerfield
Encyclopedia
Louis Westerfield was a lawyer
, law professor and served as the first African-American Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law
.
and was the son of a Mississippi sharecropper. He received his bachelor's degree from Southern University at New Orleans in 1971. In 1974, he received his Jurist Doctor from Loyola University School of Law
in New Orleans. He earned his Master of Laws from Columbia Law School
in New York City in 1980.
Westerfield began his legal career in 1974 as an assistant district attorney in New Orleans and a year later became assistant professor of law and director of the law clinic at Southern University Law Center
. Westerfield joined Loyola's law faculty in 1978 and went to the University of Mississippi as its first tenured black law professor in 1983. He became dean of Ole Miss Law in 1994.
On August 24, 1996, Westerfield died unexpectedly due to a massive heart attack.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, law professor and served as the first African-American Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law
University of Mississippi School of Law
The University of Mississippi School of Law, also known as Ole Miss Law, is an ABA-accredited law school located on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. The School of Law opened in 1854 and is the fourth-oldest state-supported law school in the country...
.
Early years
Westerfield was born in De Kalb, MississippiDe Kalb, Mississippi
De Kalb is a town in Kemper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 972 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kemper County.-Geography:De Kalb is located at ....
and was the son of a Mississippi sharecropper. He received his bachelor's degree from Southern University at New Orleans in 1971. In 1974, he received his Jurist Doctor from Loyola University School of Law
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law is a private law school in New Orleans, Louisiana affiliated with Loyola University New Orleans. Loyola's law school opened in 1914 and is now located on the Broadway Campus of the University in the historic Audubon Park District of the city. The College...
in New Orleans. He earned his Master of Laws from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in New York City in 1980.
Westerfield began his legal career in 1974 as an assistant district attorney in New Orleans and a year later became assistant professor of law and director of the law clinic at Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center
Southern University Law Center, a campus of the Southern University System, opened for instruction in September 1947. Its concept was born out of a response of a lawsuit by an African American resident, Charles J. Hatfield, III, seeking to attend law school at a state institution...
. Westerfield joined Loyola's law faculty in 1978 and went to the University of Mississippi as its first tenured black law professor in 1983. He became dean of Ole Miss Law in 1994.
On August 24, 1996, Westerfield died unexpectedly due to a massive heart attack.